1：Experimental Design and Method Selection:

TiOx thin films were deposited at room temperature on soda-lime glass and Si (100) substrates, using a

2：95% pure Ti target and a mixture of Ar and O2 in the plasma. The Ar/O2 partial pressure was controlled with a residual gas analyzer system. Sample Selection and Data Sources:

Samples were labeled R1 to R7, depending on the Ar/O2 ratio.

3：List of Experimental Equipment and Materials:

A

4：95% pure Ti target, Ar (9999%) and O2 (999%) gases, residual gas analyzer system (MKS-QMG 200), Nanoscope IIIa scanning force microscope, Philips X-Pert diffractometer, 3 MV Tandetron accelerator for RBS, Perkin Elmer Lambda 25 UV-visible-near-infrared spectrophotometer, Fischerscope H100V hardness tester. Experimental Procedures and Operational Workflow:

The deposition system was initially evacuated until a base pressure of

5：5 × 10?5 Pa was reached. The chamber was filled with Ar and O2 to a working pressure of approximately 3 Pa. The target was pre-sputtered for 5 min in an Ar atmosphere to remove impurities and native oxide. After the addition of O2 to the Ar atmosphere, a second pre-sputtering was performed for 5 min to form a TiOx layer in the target before the onset of film deposition. Constant DC power of 100 W was used for all samples and the deposition time was kept constant at 60 min. Data Analysis Methods:

The thickness of TiOx thin films was determined by profilometry, ellipsometry, and RBS. The topography was characterized by SFM. Structural characterization was performed by GIXRD. The O/Ti ratio of the films was obtained by NRA. The optical properties were characterized using polarimetric techniques. The mechanical properties were evaluated through hardness-instrumented tests.